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James B. McPherson
|died= |placeofbirth=Clyde, Ohio |placeofdeath=Atlanta, Georgia |placeofburial= Clyde, Ohio |placeofburial_label= Place of burial |image= |caption=General James B. McPherson, photographed by Mathew Brady |nickname= |allegiance= United States of America Union |branch= United States Army Union Army |serviceyears=1853 – 1864 |rank=Major General |commands=XVII Corps Army of the Tennessee |unit=Corps of Engineers |battles=American Civil War *Battle of Fort Henry *Battle of Fort Donelson *Battle of Shiloh *Siege of Vicksburg *Atlanta Campaign **Battle of Atlanta † |awards= |laterwork= }} James Birdseye McPherson (November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Atlanta and was the highest ranking Union officer killed during the war.Woodworth, p. 167. Eicher, pp. 383-84, 477-78: John Sedgwick, a Union officer who was also killed in battle, was promoted to major general of volunteers on July 4, 1862, almost three months before McPherson, therefore technically had a higher rank. However, unlike McPherson, Sedgwick never commanded an army. Early life and career McPherson was born near Clyde, Ohio. He attended Norwalk Academy in Ohio,Eicher, pp. 383-84. and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1853, first in his class, which included Philip H. Sheridan, John M. Schofield, and John Bell Hood; Hood would oppose him later in the Western Theater. McPherson was appointed to the Corps of Engineers with the rank of brevet second lieutenant. For a year after his graduation he was assistant instructor of practical engineering at the Military Academy, and was next engaged from 1854 to 1857 as assistant engineer upon the defenses of the harbor of New York and the improvement of Hudson River. In 1857 he superintended the building of Fort Delaware, and in 1857-61 was superintending engineer of the construction of the defenses of Alcatraz Island, at San Francisco, Cal.Woodworth, p. 154. Civil War At the start of the Civil War, he was stationed in San Francisco, California, but requested a transfer to the Corps of Engineers, rightly thinking that a transfer to the East would further his career. He departed California on August 1, 1861, and arrived soon after in New York. He requested a position on the staff of Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck, one of the senior Western commanders. He received this (while a captain in the Corps of Engineers), and was sent to St. Louis, Missouri. McPherson's career began rising after this assignment. He was a lieutenant colonel and the Chief Engineer in Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's army during the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson. Following the Battle of Shiloh, he was promoted to brigadier general. On October 8, 1862, he was promoted to major general, and was soon after given command of the XVII Corps in Grant's Army of the Tennessee. On March 12, 1864, he was given command of the Army of the Tennessee, after its former commander, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, was promoted to command of all armies in the West (after Grant was sent to the East). His army was the Right Wing of Sherman's army, alongside the Army of the Cumberland and the Army of the Ohio. On May 5, 1864, Sherman began his Atlanta Campaign. Sherman planned to have the bulk of his forces feint toward Dalton, Georgia, while McPherson would bear the brunt of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's attack, and attempt to trap them. However, the Confederate forces eventually escaped, and Sherman blamed McPherson (for being "slow"), although it was mainly faulty planning on Sherman's part that led to the escape. McPherson's troops followed the Confederates "vigorously", and were resupplied at Kingston, Georgia. The troops drew near Pumpkinvine Creek, where they attacked and drove the Confederates from Dallas, Georgia, even before Sherman's order to do so. Johnston and Sherman maneuvered against each other, until the Union disaster at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. McPherson then tried a flanking maneuver at the Battle of Marietta, but that failed as well. On July 17, Confederate President Jefferson Davis became frustrated with Johnston's strategy of maneuver and retreat, and replaced him with Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood. Hood was eventually defeated, and retreated into Atlanta. Meanwhile, McPherson had advanced his troops into Decatur, Georgia, and from there, they moved onto the high ground on Bald Hill overlooking Atlanta. On July 22, they noticed that the Confederate troops had left Atlanta. Sherman believed that the Confederates had been defeated and were evacuating; however, McPherson rightly believed that they were moving to attack the Union right and rear. While they were discussing this new development, however, four divisions under Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee flanked Maj. Gen. Grenville Dodge's XVI Corps. While McPherson was riding his horse toward his old XVII Corps, a line of Confederate skirmishers appeared, yelling "Halt!". McPherson raised his hand to his head as if to remove his hat, but suddenly wheeled his horse, attempting to escape. The Confederates opened fire and mortally wounded McPherson. His adversary, John Bell Hood, wrote, Legacy ]] Fort McPherson in the Atlanta, Georgia, area was named in Gen. McPherson's honor on February 20, 1866. McPherson Square in Washington, D.C., and its Metro rail station are named in the general's honor. At the center of the square is a statue of McPherson on horseback. McPherson County, Kansas, and the town of McPherson, Kansas, are named in his honor. There is also an equestrian statue of him in the park across from the McPherson County Courthouse. McPherson County, South Dakota, founded in 1873, and organized in 1885, was also named in his honor. McPherson County, Nebraska, and Fort McPherson National Cemetery, located near Maxwell, Nebraska, were named in his honor, and the National Cemetery was established on March 3, 1873. This 20-acre cemetery is located two miles south of Interstate 80, near Exit 190.Fort McPherson National Cemetery McPherson Road in Ayer, Massachusetts, was named in his honor.According to a sign beside the road, at the intersection with Main Street. A monument marking the death of McPherson was established at the location of his death in East Atlanta, at the intersection of McPherson Avenue and Monument Avenue. McPherson Avenue in Atlanta was named for him. The spot is marked by a Union cannon once placed at Glenwood Road and Flat Shoals Road to protect the flank of the front line and return fire against the defensive positions built by Lemuel P. Grant. A distinctive engraved portrait of McPherson appeared on U.S. paper money in 1890 and 1891. The bills are called "treasury notes" or "coin notes" and are widely collected today because of their fine, detailed engraving. The $2 McPherson "fancyback" note of 1890, with an estimated 600-900 in existence relative to the 4.9 million printed, ranks as number 15 in the "100 Greatest American Currency Notes" compiled by Bowers and Sundman (2006).Bowers, Q.D., and D.M. Sundman, 100 Greatest American Currency Notes, Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2006. The James B. McPherson Elementary School in the Ravenswood area of Chicago, Illinois, was named for McPherson.School website. In his home town of Clyde, Ohio, James B. McPherson Highway (State Route 20) and McPherson Cemetery are named for him. See also *List of American Civil War generals Notes References * Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3. * Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders, Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7. * Woodworth, Steven E., ed., Grant's Lieutenants: From Cairo to Vicksburg, University Press of Kansas, 2001, ISBN 0-7006-1127-4. *Northern Georgia - James B. McPherson *James McPherson Biography * Retrieved on 2008-02-12 Further reading *Gingrich, Newt, and Forstchen, William R., Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory, Thomas Dunne Books, 2005, ISBN 0-312-34298-5. This alternate history novel includes McPherson as a major character. External links *Pictures of U.S. Treasury Notes featuring James B. McPherson, provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. *Orders issued by General William T. Sherman to James B. McPherson on the day of McPherson's death, July 22, 1864. From the collection of the Georgia Archives. Category:1828 births Category:1864 deaths Category:United States Army generals Category:United States Military Academy alumni Category:Union Army generals Category:People from Sandusky County, Ohio Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:People of Ohio in the American Civil War Category:American military personnel killed in the American Civil War da:James B. McPherson de:James B. McPherson fr:James B. McPherson it:James B. McPherson ja:ジェイムズ・マクファーソン (軍人) vi:James B. McPherson